Prince Harry on Childhood Trauma Surrounding His Life
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, opens up to Oprah Winfrey about the trauma regarding his mother Diana’s tragic passing. He discusses how to destigmatize mental health and heal from the past.
Prince Harry spoke to Oprah in a new docuseries, The Me You Can’t See, that premiered May 21 on Apple TV +. He recalled the anger and heartbreak that followed the death of his mother, Princess Diana, from a car accident while being chased by paparazzi in 1997. Oprah showed a trailer for the show on Instagram.
Prince Harry and Oprah created the docuseries together to shut down the stigma of mental illness and encourage people to feel comfortable talking about mental health. Other celebrities who opened up about mental illness in the show were Lady Gaga and Zak Williams.
Per the Los Angeles Times, Prince Harry revealed that “Unfortunately, when I think about my mom, the first thing that comes to mind is always the same one over and over again. Strapped in the car, seatbelt across, with my brother in the car as well, and my mother driving, being chased by three, four, five mopeds with paparazzi on. And then she was almost unable to drive because of the tears.”
The Duke, whose mother passed away when he was just twelve years old, told Oprah that he has been going to therapy for more than four years to heal from the past. Princess Diana’s sudden death and the royal family’s hesitation to talk about it caused Prince Harry to suppress his grief and shock for years.
He also expressed his frustration with the paparazzi. “I was so angry with what happened to [Princess Diana] and the fact that there was no justice. At all. Nothing came from that. The same people that chased her into the tunnel photographed her dying on the backseat of that car.” He was originally reluctant to go to therapy because he believed, “What’s the point in thinking about something sad? What’s the point in thinking about someone that you’ve lost and you’re never gonna get back again? And I just decided not to talk about it.”
Prince Harry began drinking and doing drugs to deal with his trauma. It wasn’t until he met his wife, Meghan Markle, that he decided to go to therapy because she convinced him he needed to talk to someone. The couple decided to leave the royal family because they felt controlled and that their trauma was forcibly suppressed. Prince Harry revealed that they “Chose to put our mental health first. That’s what we’re doing and that’s what we will continue to do. Isn’t this all about breaking the cycle? Isn’t this all about making sure that history doesn’t repeat itself?”
Advocates for mental health showed their support for Prince Harry’s story on Twitter.
Watching #TheMeYouCantSee & wow… truly an eye opener. I’m crying like a mad woman. @Oprah & Prince Harry did an amazing job of peeling back snd exposing the many layers, the stigma & stereotypes concerning mental health.
— A D Nance (@ADNance5) May 22, 2021
Finally finished #TheMeYouCantSee….it has been an emotional day with lots of crying. This will help millions or billions of people all over the globe that have been suffering in silence. Seeing Oprah and Prince Harry being vulnerable, will inspire them to seek help.
— #endSARS #endSARS 🇳🇬🇺🇸 (@ma_hlove) May 22, 2021
Just finished the Oprah and Prince Harry series on mental health in one sitting and I am so pumped to be a part of this field one day 🥺
— BLM (@casssafrazz) May 22, 2021
The first season of The Me You Can’t See is available to watch on Apple TV+.
